Effects of Bruxism

Posted December 15, 2016.

If you grind your teeth on a regular basis, this is a condition known as bruxism. It can potentially harm your teeth and jaw if you don’t address it quickly, and letting it linger is a surefire way to run into some serious dental problems.

If you want to avoid those problems, then Dr. Jun H Chung and his staff here at Lansdowne Dental Arts in Leesburg, Virginia, recommends you follow the below advice to make sure that the negative effects of bruxism don’t hurt you. But first, let’s look at what it can cause if you don’t treat it.

TMJ Disorder

One of the most notable long-term effects of teeth grinding is that it can lead to TMJ disorder. This occurs when your temporomandibular joint (the hinge on your jaw) is ground out of place and causes pain, headaches, and ear aches. Stopping teeth grinding will reverse the effects of TMJ disorder and get your jaw aligned properly without the need for any sort of surgery.

Broken teeth

The other, rather obvious, long-term effect of grinding your teeth is that you’ll end up with broken, cracked teeth. This affects your appearance, your ability to eat, and even your speech. Fixing these cracked teeth means a long process of getting crowns, or if the damage is extensive enough, receiving dental implants to replace the entire tooth.

If you need a solution to help you stop grinding your teeth, call us today at 703-858-5990 to see what we can do to help.